Universal Children’s Day in Gaza

Dozens of Palestinian children participated in an exhibitory march in Gaza City yesterday to mark Universal Children’s Day.

The event, organised by the international organisation Save the Children, included children carrying signs that read: “We want our right to life” and “No to the exploitation of children”.

At the end of the march, the children released balloons in the air and drew murals highlighting the rights of Palestinian children.

The head of Save the Children in the Gaza Strip, Afaf Al-Khalidi, said that the children of Gaza still “suffer from the effects of Israel’s latest war.”

“The children of Gaza want to live in safety, security, and stability, like the other children of war. They want to live far from the crimes being committed by the Israeli occupation forces against them,” she added.

Al-Khalidi pointed out that there are thousands of children who lost their parents as a result of the latest war on Gaza. Gaza was subjected to a military attack by Israel that caused the death of 2,322 Palestinians, including 578 children (ages ranging from one month to 16 years), and the injury of 10,870 Palestinians, 3,303 of whom were children, according to figures issued by the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

Children in Arab and European countries celebrate Universal Children’s day on 20 November of every year. This day coincides with the signing of the Convention on the Rights of the Child on 20 November, 1989, by 191 countries.